


Crash and Burn.

by 360loverpenguin



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Basically they broke up and Snotlout's upset but like they get back together so it's all good., F/M, New Berk, Ruffnut's insecurities, This is trash but I love it.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-05
Updated: 2019-04-05
Packaged: 2020-01-05 03:08:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18357362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/360loverpenguin/pseuds/360loverpenguin
Summary: “I screwed up this time, and well, every time before that. I don’t expect this to fix everything. Just… forget it ever happened. Forget about me.” he said, heavy emotions seeping into his voice. It was for the best, he told himself. He wouldn’t spend the rest of his life being rejected, and he supposed it was better to let her go now than wait for her to destroy the remaining shards of his heart.He had done it, he had lost her for good. He angrily scrubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand, refusing to let out the tears he had held in for so long.Not a few minutes later, he heard a pounding at his door as someone incessantly slammed their fist against the wood. He ignored it at first, brushing it off as his cousin, until he heard a voice that sounded as broken as he felt travel through the door.“Hey muttonhead, open up.” Ruff said, trying to hide the weakness in her voice. Her heart had yearned for him this past week, but she had refused to be the first to crack, and come apologize to him. Not that she had given him much of a chance to do the same.





	Crash and Burn.

Snotlout ran a hand over his face as he stared down at the now empty mug sitting on the table in front of him. He had really screwed up this time, just like every single time before that. The past few months have been a absolute blur, and honestly, he was exhausted. But he would never tire of chasing after her. She was a force to be reckoned with, of that he was certain.

They had broken up so many times before, in fact Snotlout wouldn’t doubt that they’d set a world record for the most unstable relationship in history. He chuckled at the thought, think back to the world record book he knew was still buried somewhere in the twins’ hut. This time however, was different. It had been a week since the last time Ruff spoke to him, not that he could even remember what they had fought about.

He seemed to be spending all his time trying to forget about her as of late. Snotlout wasn’t a complete muttonhead, despite what the other riders might say, so of course he had apologized, trying to win her back. After all, he may not remember the details, but he was sure her rage was warranted in some capacity. At first, he thought she just needed a few day to calm down, which had always helped in the past. After all, with such diverse and intense personalities, they could sometimes argue about the dumbest of things. 

But she had always come back. After a few days, she would burst into his hut after sundown, telling him how much of an idiot he was before crashing her lips onto his. He sighed, this time however, proved different. She had avoided him around the village, casting him sneering looks each time their paths crossed. Each time he tried to speak, she rolled her eyes, always disappearing back into her hut, which it seemed she seldom left these days.

His friends payed no mind to the feuding couple, blatantly used to the drama by now. After all, none of them had believed the couple would work from the start, and he was just now starting to believe them. What did he expect, really. It’s not like he deserved her, or anyone else, for that matter. He was just an obnoxious idiot, who somehow managed to screw up every good thing that ever happened to him.

He angrily shoved the mug away from himself, wishing that there was anywhere he could go to escape his thoughts. His hut was just a painful memory of late nights, and messy bed sheets. Anywhere else on the island was bound to be crowded by people, leaving him no chance to be by himself. Even now, the vikings were filtering in to the great hall.

Snotlout looked around, his eyes never focusing on anything. Why were they here so late? He had purposely arrived late to dinner, getting there just as the hall was emptying for the night, leaving him and the flicker of the large fire in the dark, empty building.

“Hey Snotlout.” a voice said from behind him. He slowly flicked his gaze up towards them, nodding to his cousin in greeting. It was so much like Hiccup to try and comfort him, after all, he had not only lost Ruffnut, but by association, he had seemingly lost his best friend, her other half, too. But Snotlout didn’t want his pity, right now, all he wanted was to soar on the back of his dragon, until the harsh wind whipped any thought of, well, anything from his mind.

“Glad to see you actually came to the party.” Hiccup added, trying to evoke any positive emotion from the response less viking. Snotlout rolled his eyes, like he had ever missed a party. His heart stung as he thought back, ever since he and Ruff were teenagers, they had gone to every party Berk had to offer, even sneaking in to ones they weren't invited to.  
They would dance until their legs felt like they were breaking, and only leave once midnight had long slipped beyond grasp, only to crash at their huts, regretting every second of the past night. He had done it so many times, it had practically become routine to them. And the thought that it might never happened again shook Snotlout to his core.

He cleared his throat, banishing those thoughts from his mind. “What’s the party for?” he asked, noticing Astrid walk up behind Hiccup. He managed to mumble something about… to be honest, all his words were lost on Snotlout, before being dragged onto the dance floor by his betrothed.

Snotlout rolled his eyes, hoping that he and Ruff were never that disgusting in public. Though knowing them, they were probably so much worse as both of them had a nasty habit of never listening to others’ advice. Which was probably what dragged him into this mess in the first place.

His gaze drifted once more to the large oak doors of the building as they were thrown open by a blonde viking with long braided hair. But that wasn’t what caused fury to build up in the pit of Snotlout’s stomach, it was the tall viking at her side, his arm draped loosely around her waist. Snotlout gripped the edge of the rough table he was sitting at, his fingers digging painfully into the wood. She laughed loudly at something he couldn’t hear, but he could feel her satisfied smirk landing on him. He never had been good at hiding his emotions, but even someone who’d never met him could see the jealously written across his face.

He was snapped out of his, what could only be described as rage, by a familiar figure sitting on the bench next to him, forcing his glare away from the pair. “What do you want, Fishface.” Snotlout said coldly, no question in his voice. The last thing he wanted right now was to endure another boring history lesson about something he never remembered the name of.

“Nice to see you too, Snotlout.” Fishlegs said, rolling his eyes slightly. He noticed the downed look on his friend’s face, an figured it could only be the effort of one Ruffnut Eugene Thorston that affected him so badly. “You two were never going to work anyway, better you ended things now than spend the rest of your life regretting your past.” he said, slightly exasperated by the boy’s eccentric nature.

Snotlout’s eyes reverted into a stone glare, “Right, I guess you’d know about failed relationships, wouldn’t you?” he said, referencing his past romance with Heather. Snotlout felt only a slight drop of regret as the words fell from his lips, but knew it was well deserved, after all, they both knew what it was like to feel… Snotlout refused to describe it as heartbroken, that meant that he had let her in. That meant that she had won this cruel game they had been playing for years.

It was like a flame, beautiful and enticing, both daring to get as they close as they can without getting burned, both always backing away from each other when they git to close. Snotlout would’ve almost described it as a fear of sorts, afraid that if he let Ruff to close, she would plunge a dagger through his heart. So much for that, he had given her his heart the first time they had kissed, but it seemed she was still holding hers hostage, taunting him with it before moving it just beyond his grasp.

He turned his attention back to the viking next to him, only to find him long disappeared. A harshly worded insult rang vaguely in the distance, as he foggily recalled they boy storming off what could have been an hour ago. Snotlout no longer had any semblance of time, the world being just a hazy blur to him. The only thing that was clear to him was the girl on the dance floor, her braids swinging wildly as she danced against the stranger, apparently having the time of her life.

Snotlout angrily stood from the table, slamming his knee painfully against the offending object as he did so. He sucked in a sharp breath, before storming towards the exit, no longer able to bear the sight pictured in front of him.

As he stepped out into the night, he glanced down at his injured knee, the pain not having dispersed in the time it took him to navigate through the thick crowd and away from the entire village. He could see a cut, seeping through his pants. Stupid Hiccup, couldn’t even be bothered with keeping the edges of the tables sanded.

Snotlout had survived worse, heck he had caused worse. But he figured he should at least wrap it, the last thing he needed was to be tied to his bed with an infection, the memories that lived there might kill him. He reluctantly reached for his dagger, intending to cut away the soaked fabric with its’ sharp edge.

His hand was met with air, however as he noticed that his weapon was absent from its’ usual place on his belt. He rolled his eyes, knowing that it must have fallen out while he was sitting in the back of the great hall. He should really find some way to attach it more securely, the amount of knives he had lost during training was unreal.

He debated just leaving it, not willing to face the stranger who had seemingly taken his place. That thought stung him more sharply than his dagger ever could, he suddenly felt small, standing outside the large building. She didn’t need him, anytime she wanted to, she could find a replacement, and it seemed she had done just that. He shook the thought from his head, returning every bit of his attention to the matter at hand.

If he left it inside, he had no doubt that Tuff would steal it before he had a chance to return. His friend had a nasty habit of losing all of his own weapons, and typically relied on Snotlout’s carelessness to replenish his stock. He should know by now, it was a game that had been playing since before they could talk. Snotlout reluctantly threw the doors open, keeping his eyes locked on the ground as he made his way back towards his former seat.

However, before he had a chance to retrieve the offending weapon, he heard Ruffnut’s gasp echo across the room. He shook his head, reasoning that he must be imagining it. How could he make out one person’s voice out of the deafening room, hundreds of voices chorused together, yet he still heard her. He dragged his eyes in her direction anyway, unable to ignore it.

What he saw, however, made him forget entirely about the weapon, his sadness, and their breakup all together.

Ruffnut’s lips were locked into a thin line as he cornered her against the wall, she tried angrily to shove him away, her shoulder connecting roughly with his chest. She was unsuccessful, however, as he gripped her wrist, pinning her back against the wall. The back of her helmet collided with the stone, her heart speeding up in her chest for all the wrong reasons.

She narrowed her eyes as him, daring him to make another move. She was Ruffnut Thorston, she could defend herself just as well as any man in this village, and refused to call for anyone’s help. She slipped her free hand behind her back, reaching for her knife, only to be met with an empty sheath.

Of course she had to pick today to lose it in a bet against her brother, she flicked her gaze back up to his dull grey eyes as his lips moved closer to hers. She struggled underneath his grip, Ruffnut was strong, but even she couldn’t escape from the position she was currently held in.

Suddenly, the man was ripped away from her. She let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding until that very moment. She was glad to see the familiar face and obnoxious helmet that were currently glaring at the man, and if humans could breathe fire as easily as the dragons they once soared on, Snotlout would have killed the man long ago.

Snotlout clenched his fists, “Stay away from my princess.” he hissed through clenched teeth. He didn’t give the man time to respond before his fist connected with his jaw, sending an ear piercing crack echoing through the room. The man stumbled backwards, his hands coming to his face to nurse his injury. He reeled his fist back to respond, before being met by a harsh kick to the stomach.

Ruffnut flashed a satisfied smile as he fell back against the floor. “Wanna try that again?” she said, teasing him with the knowledge that she had won the fight. There had been little action lately, the dragon hunters no longer having any dragons to hunt, and Ruffnut would be glad to show him what hours of training looked like in action.

She let out a breathy laugh as he stumbled towards the exit, clearly intimidated by the two riders. She then turned to Snotlout, her stone cold features softening slightly, but the smile no longer present on her lips. “Why’d you do that?” she asked seriously.

Snotlout looked at her in response as if she had developed the same number of heads as the dragon she shared with her brother. “What? You mean why’d I save you? Y’know most people would just say thank you.” he said, grumbling the latter half of the sentence.

Ruffnut rolled her eyes in response, “Don’t be stupid, you do enough of that already. I could’ve handled it on my own.” Ruff said, but Berk wasn’t exactly known for their excellent liars.

“Because I love you, Ruff!” he practically shouted. She froze in her spot, her worn leather boots seemingly glued to the floor. This was the first chance he’s gotten to speak to her alone all week, and if she wasn’t going to take him back anyway, he might as well speak his mind.

“Even if you don’t feel the same way, even if you never felt that way, I’m not just gonna stand by and let someone hurt you like that. I know I screwed up this time, and well, every time before that. I don’t expect this to fix everything. Just… forget it ever happened. Forget about me.” he said, heavy emotions seeping into his voice. It was for the best, he told himself. He wouldn’t spend the rest of his life being rejected, and he supposed it was better to let her go now than wait for her to destroy the remaining shards of his heart.

It wasn’t the apology he wanted, the one he had reversed in his mind until it was engraved there, but they say everything happens at a specific time, for a specific reason, and in hindsight, he wouldn’t change a word.

The door to Snotlout’s hut slammed shut behind him, the events of the party finally slamming into his mind, much like the door he was not resting against. He had done it, he had lost her for good. He angrily scrubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand, refusing to let out the tears he had held in for so long.

Not a few minutes later, he heard a pounding at his door as someone incessantly slammed their fist against the wood, apparently adamant about attaining his attention. He ignored it at first, brushing it off as his concerned cousin, probably wondering about the events of the night that had most likely resulted in a broken jaw and a nosy crowd. Until he heard a voice that sounded as broken as he felt travel through the door.

“Hey muttonhead, open up.” Ruff said, trying to hide the weakness in her voice. Her heart had yearned for him this past week, but she had refused to be the first to crack, and come apologize to him. Not that she had given him much of a chance to do the same.

“What do you want?” he said, leaning heavily against the door to keep it shut. He couldn’t see her right now, he knew that if he did, his resolve would crumble and he would fall right back to where he started.

She groaned, honestly, how could one viking be that stubborn? Well, it does run in their nature, she supposed. “What you said about lo…” she stopped abruptly, unable to get the word out of her throat, “Y’know. Did you mean it?” No response echoed from the boy currently trying to quell his tears, but no words were needed to draw her answer.

She took a deep breath, preparing to lay a part of her out that not even her twin had seen. “I… am the only single, well, singleish girl on Berk our age. If this is gonna be something… I need to know you aren’t just trying to look down a date.” she said, twisting the end of one of her braids as she spoke quickly. Astrid had everything, brains, athletic skills, beauty, she was the girl every guy dreamed of being with. But Ruffnut… wasn’t that girl. She was obnoxious, loud, and crazy. Why would any guy choose that, unless they had no other choice.

She had been creating reasons to leave ever since their rocky relationship began, never allowing herself to venture too close, fearful she might fall in too deep and set herself up for pain. She was the second choice, and she knew it.

“Ruff, are you crazy?” he started, his tears ceasing as his heart ached for the girl that was just outside his hut at who knows what hour. “I wouldn’t go through all of this… insanity if I was just looking for a date. I love you Ruffnut. I can’t say that I always have, but the more time we spent together, the more I fell for you.” Snotlout said, almost rolling his eyes at how cheesy he sounded. “You’re amazing… you’re gorgeous, you kick butt and… and you’re unapologetically you.”

He threw the door open then, catching Ruff of guard as she scrubbed at her own tear stained cheeks, “You’re such a sap, idiot.” she said, her voice hoarse as she grabbed the front of his tunic, pulling him in to a rough kiss, their mouthes sending any words left unspoken as they crashed against each other.

They may never have the model relationship, they may crash, they may burn, they may fight, but they were like magnets to one another, always crashing back together before they drifted too far apart. And he would spend the rest of his life trying to catch up with the amazing girl in his arms.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys liked it! Constructive criticism is always appreciated. Also, not gonna lie, I wrote this really late so typos are bound to appear.


End file.
